Yarn carrier



July 7, 1942. A. FEUSTEL YARN CARRIER Filed Oct. 10, 1941 INVENTOR. flfus 6 A Patented July 7, 1942 UNITED STATE YARN CARRIER Ernest A. Feustel, Hasbrouck Heights, N. J., as-

signor to Ernest A. Feustel, Inc., Hasbrouck Heights, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 10,1941, Serial No. 414,403

12 Claims.

The present invention 'relates to certain new and useful improvements in thread carriers of the general type shown in United States Patent No. 1,675,556 and in German Patent No. 643,290, wherein the thread-guide tube which gives the final guidance to the thread is held between spring jaws formed in the discharge end of the carrier.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my application Serial No. 321,012, filed February 2'7, 1940, now .Patent No, 2,275j848.

One of the objects of my present invention is to provide a thread carrier adapted for use particularly with full-fashioned knitting machines which will be more elficient and easier to maintain and more dependable in operation and which will enable a quick replacement of the thread-guide tube while the yarn carrier remains in place upon the machine; that is, the thread guide tube may be removed from the yarn carrier when it is worn or cu by the threads without loosening the carrier at its anchorage.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a yarn carrier and tube therefor which will be more eificient for full-fashioned knitting machines, particularly for knitting relatively fine-gauge silk hosiery, and which will also more accurately control the thread.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear more fully from the following detailed description, appended claims, and accompanying drawing, the present invention consists of a yarn carrier having the discharge or pay-out end thereof bent at an obtuse angle to the main body of the carrier and having the discharge or lower end of the carrier split or bifurcated longitudinally into a pair of juxtaposed spring-arms terminating in tube-gripping jaws, adapted to hold a tube frictionally or otherwise and having a thread-guiding tongue-like portion or finger disposed intermediate said jaws generally at the bend of said carrier, so as to guide the thread or yarn over the bend generally within the confines of the carrier and so as to prevent the thread from interfering with the next adjacent carrier particularly in multi-carrier operation as commonly employed in full-fashioned knitting machines.

The present invention further consists of a certain novel construction in the tube-gripping jaws of the carrier and of a certain novel rela- 'tionship between the jaws, the yarn-guide tube supported thereby, and the thread-guiding finger, whereby the tube may readily fbe inserted and withdrawn from said jaws and may firmly be For the purpose of illustrating the invention,

there are shown in the accompanying drawing forms thereof which are at present preferred, since the same have been found in practice to give satisfactory-and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the inventionconsists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary plan view of one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a cross-sectional view generally along theline 2,-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a plan view similar to that of Figure l but showing a differentembodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 represents a cross-sectional view generally along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 represents a cross-sectional view gen l erally along the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 representsa perspective view of a key which may be used to spread the spring jaws of the carrier to permit insertion and removal of the thread-guidin tube.

Figure 7 represents a perspective view of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, illustrating the manner in which the key is employed to spread the spring jaws to permit removal or insertion of the thread-guiding tube.

Figure 8 represents an elevat1onal view of yarn guide tubehaving a tapered tip which may be used in place of the fullycylindrical tube shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 represents a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 2 but showin the use of a yarn-guide tube having an oval-shaped or elliptical cross-section.

Figure 10 represents a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale of another embodiment of the present invention in which the yarn-guide tube is tapered throughout its length and in which the tube-gripping surfaces of the springjaws are correspondingly tapered.

Figure 11 represents a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention in which spring jaws are employed to provide a four-point grip upon a yarn-guide ring.

Referring to the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and '7, I may provide a yarn carrier designated generally by the numera ID having a main body portion H and having an upper anchorage portion (not shown) of conventional construction for removably afiixing the carrier to the knitting machine.

The carrier is bent generally in the zone l2, thereby to provide the lower or pay-out end !3 which is generally at an obtuse angle to the main body portion H. While I prefer to make the bend l2 gradual, the are of the bend may be varied from a small radius to a fairly large radius.

A central yarn-guide finger or tongue I4 is struck from the body portion H generally at the bend zone l2; said finger 14 being formed by slits having longitudinal portions l5 forming the sides of the finger and transverse portions l6 forming the outermost or lower end of the finger, the portions l5 and IE being connected by smoothlycurved portions 54.

A generally central slot I! extends outward from the outermost end of the finger l4 thereby to provide gripping jaws i8 and 19 at the lower or pay-out end l3 of the carrier ID.

The outer edges of the pay-out end l3 preferably converge to provide a relatively small lowermost and outermost tip 20.

The slits l5l6--54 and the slot I! thus provide a separation of the spring-jaws l8 and I9 from each other and from the finger M for an appreciable distance beyond the bend zone 42 thereby to impart a high degree of resiliency and gripping power to said jaws i8 and IS.

The inner sides of the jaws l8 and I9 are made concave as at 2| and 22, respectively, thereby to provide a somewhat cylindrical gripping surface within said slot I! as shown particularly in Figure 2; said concave edges or gripping surfaces 21 and 22 extending generally continuously from the outer end of the finger l4 to the lowermost tip of the carrier.

A groove 23 extends downward upon the upper face of the body H and the finger 14 as shown in Figures 1 and 7. Said groove 23 is shallow at its uppermost end and gradually becomes deeper to provide its deepest portion at the extremity of the finger M.

A pair of small openings 24 may be formed in said finger [4 on either side of said groove 23 and a relatively thin wire or staple 25 may be fastened therethrough more positively to retain the thread 26 upon the finger l4 and to prevent said thread 26 from becoming entangled with other juxtaposed carriers. Said wire 25 may be assembled either permanently or removably within the openings 24 as desired. However, the wire 25 and the openings 24 are not absolutely essential as the groove 23 and the thread-guide tube to be hereinafter described function satisfactorily to retain the thread 26 upon the yarn carrier H] in most instances.

A generally cylindrical thread-guide tube 21 is adapted to be inserted within said slot I! as shown in Figures 1 and 7.

In order to permit the insertion and removal of the tube 21, a pair of elongated openings 28 and 29 may be provided in said jaws i8 and i9 respectively, generally adiacent to the inner edges 2! and 22 thereof. A suitable er-y designated P jaws l8 and I9 apart.

generally by the numeral 30 may be provided, having a cylindrical body portion 3| and a handle 32 and having a pair of diametrically opposed prongs 33 extending from the end of said body 3!. Said prongs 33 are so disposed relative to each other that they may be inserted into the elongated openings 28 and 29, as shown in Figure '7; one of the prongs being placed at the outer end of the opening 28 and the other of the prongs being placed at the inner end of the opening 29. When the key 30 is roated clock-wise from the position shown in Figure '7, the prongs 33 will move to positions at the center of the slots 28 and 29 and in so doing will spread the When said jaws i8 and H? are spread apart, the slot ll necessarily becomes larger, and thus, the thread-guide tube 2'! which has a slightly greater outside diameter than the normal diameter of the slot ll between the concave edges 2| and 22, may be inserted within said slot IT. The key 35 is then further rotated in either direction so that the prongs 33 are again at opposite ends oi their respective elongated openings 28 and 29, thereby to permit the jaws l8 and Hi to move together by reason of their inherent resiliency to grip the thread-guide tube 2! firmly between the concave edges 2! and 22. The key 30 may then be removed irom the yarn carrier.

While in Figure 7 the key is shown as having been inserted with one of the prongs 33 in the outer end of the elongated opening 28 and with the other of the prongs 33 in the inner end of the elongated opening 29, it is, of course, equally possible to insert the key with the prongs reversed; that is, with one of the prongs at the inner end oi the opening 28 and the other at the outer end or the opening 29. The only requirement for the insertion of the key is that the prongs 33 shall originally occupy diagonal positions with respect to the ends of the slots 28 and 29 and shall then be moved to generallycentral positions within the slots 28 and 29 by rotation of the key 30, thereby to spread said gripping jaws i8 and I9 apart.

As shown particularly in Figures 1 and 7, the hreLd-guidetube 2'! is made in the form of a smooth cylinder. either end oi" which may serve as the outermost tip from which the thread 26 is finally paid one Said tube 2'! is inserted from the lower end or tip 20 of the carrier H and is inserted as :iar as possible to the position shown in Figure l in which the innermost end of the tube 21 is positioned against the outermost edge of the thread-guide finger hi. In this way, the tube 2? is held firmly against movement; its inner end abutting the i and the cylindrical walls being gripped by the concave edges 2! and 22 of the jaws i8 and i9 respectively.

The thread 26 is passed over the upper surface of the body H and is positioned within the groove 23 within the wire 25 and is drawn through the thread-guide tube 2'! from which it passes to the knitting machineinecdle in the conventional manner well known to those skilled in the art. As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the groove 23 is deep enough to permit the thread 28 to lie generally iiush with the upper surface of the carrier I0 and to prevent said thread 26 from becoming entangled with other carriers or with other parts of the knitting machine.

The yarn carrier i0 may be thinned at its outer peripheral edges particularly in the louver or payout end i3 thereof to provide the generaliv ovalshaped cross-section shown in Figures L, {and 5.

I have found thatby making said yarn carriers with thinned edges, they can more readily pass each other in the close proximity in which they are placed with respect to each other in the knitting machine. As is wellknown to those skilled in the art, yarn carriers as used in present-type knitting machines are reciprocated side-wise with their pathsof travel overlapping those of adjacent carriers. Since very little clearance'is'provided between adjacent and overlapping carriers, it has frequently been found that adjacent carriers may strike eachother and mayeven jam if their alignment is not entirely accurate. I have found that by making the carriers with thinned peripheral edges, adjacent carriers more readily clear each other and slide past each other where contact does occur therebetween and thus, the possibility of damage to or jamming of the carriers is greatly reduced.

In Figures 3 and 4 I have shown a different" embodiment of the present invention designated generally by the reference character Ill-a. v

Said carrier lO-a is provided with a body portion II, a bent zone 12, a thread-guide finger or tongue I ia, openings 24 and a wire 25, which are similar to those of the carrier l shown in Figures 1, 2 and '7.

The thread-guide finger M-a, insteadof being formed with smoothly-curved corners as is the finger l4 shown in Figures 1 and '7, is formed with right-angled corners; the longitudinal slits l5a intersecting generally perpendicularly with the transverse slit I6a.

However, instead-of providing the jaws l8 and IS with continuous concave inner gripping edges or surfaces as shown in the embodiment of Figures 1, 2 and 7, the embodiment of Figures 3 and 4 is provided with the gripping jaws 34 and 35. Said gripping jaws 34 and 3.5 have upper and lower gripping edges; the jaw 34 being pro-- vided with an upper concave inner gripping edge 33 and a similar lower concave inner gripping edge 31, while the jaw 35 is similarly provided from each other to provide a generally rectangular key opening 4i] therebetween.

A ti'iread-guide tube 21 identical to that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 7 may be inserted within the yarn carrier l0-cz in a manner similar to that employed in connection with the embodiment shown in Figure 7, Thus, the prongs 33 of the removed. l I I I The thread 26 may then be positioned within I a .portions thereof. The key 30 may thenbe the groove 23,-.the wire,25,and the tube 2'! in thesame manner as described hereinabove with respect to Figure 7;

,Thus, in the embodiment shown'in Figures 3 and 4, thethread-guide tube 27, instead of being gripped continuously along the greatest portion of its axialext ent, is gripped on'lyat upper and lower portions "thereof. It has been found that this embodiment'may sometimes be 'preferred since it affords a' firmer grip upon the thread-guide tub,.that is, the gripping force ,npon continued use of the'carrier. I

As can readily be seen, the yarn carrier ofv my present invention affords a high degree of gripping "force by reason of'the relatively long lines of bifurcation which give a high degree of resil iency to the gripping jaws. ,At the same time,

the yarn carrier of my present invention provides a support for the thread at the bend zone 'of the carrier and prevents fraying'or tearing or weakening of the thread which would otherwise occur ifsaid thread were notiso supported; as, for example, if no finger H, were provided and the threadwere therefore to assume a sharply angled configuration between the, innermost end of the thread-guide tube 21 and the upper surface of the body ll,

' The yarn carrier is preferably made of steel ameters sothat each yarn carrie'rmay be used interchangeably with ,differentsize or different gauge machinesby merely employing the proper I size yarn-guide tube.

key 30 may be inserted diagonally within the poistioned against the outer edge of the finger M. The ke 30 is then rotated in either direction again to move the prongs 33 to a diagonal position, thus permitting the jaws 34 and 35 to close by reason of theirnatural resiliency, therehy to grip the tube 21 at upper and lower Thus, in old-type-yarncarriers, a singlecarrier could hold only a single size yarniguide finger and could therefore be used only on a single gauge machineand with a single gauge thread.

I In the past, therefore, it was necessary to use different yarn carriers on different gauge machines, andsuch carriers could not be used interchangeably.v .As a result of my present invention, it is possibleto employa single yarn carrier on many different size machines, as, for example, on39, 42,. 45, 48, 51, 54 and 57 gauge machines; by merely inserting the appropriate.

I may also provide a yarrhguide tube which has an oval cross-section in place of the cirr cross-section shown in Figures 2 and 4. in Figure 9, I have shown a ci'oss-sei'tiona;

but maybe made of any other suitable form-recross-section, or said outer'tip may be oval- '1 shaped or "elliptical in cross-section'with the ""agsz soa'use modify the yarn carrier of Figure 1 in the same way. That ls, the concave gripping surfaces 2| and 22 of carrier I0 could be made with a slight downward oroutward taper to accommodate'the tapered thread-guide tube 45.

The relatively large key-opening shown in Figures 3 and has the advantage of permitting greater visibility underneath the yarn carrier. :That is, in present-day knitting machines, yarn i carriers are positioned in groups of two or three I or more, one directly above the other with very slight clearance therebetween. These carriers must be positioned accurately with respect to each major and minor axesjreversed withrespect to "those fof the body 'portion of' the tube; that is,

fwith the majoraxis transverse of the car'rier and y m er a. 'e' en r ll 'ic'lheflee the carrier;

Another embodiment the present invention is shown Figure 10 in which the yarn carrier is designated,generally by the numeral lO-b;

Yarn carrierflllbj ls generallyof thefsame const r uctio'n ascarrier 0tt except that it employs a thread-guide tube which is tapered'throughout its entire lengthi that is, thet'ube 45, instead entire axial dimension, I I I} U I Carrier ill-b is provided with spring-jaws 46w; fend 41. Said spring-jaws, and 41 arepro'vided I withi upper and lower concave tube-gripping surof being fully c'ylindricalf (as the "tube 21) or I with a cylindrical body portion and a tapered tip (as is the tubefl14l)": is made conical, prefer-1 ably with a slight uniformtap'er throughout its l faces; the jaw 46 having the upper gripping surface 48 and the lower gripping: surface 49, and the jaw having the upper gripping "surface'SO and the lower'gripping surface 5!. A

generally rectangular key opening??? is provided I V in said spring-jaws 46 and 41 intermediate the upper and lower 'tubeegripping surfaces, thereof.

Gi'ip'ping surfaces, 49, 50and 51 are, formed "with a slight taper corresponding to the taper of the thread-guide tube 45 "so that-when said] tube 45 is inserted within the, carrier l0-;-b with its'innerwider end 52 abutting the thread-guide, finger [4, the gripping surfacesof the springjaws will grip the upper and lower portions of a the tube 45 accurately and with more or less uni- I e form pressure. That is,;" a 'relativelylarger Conical clearanceis maintained between thefuppel gripping surfaces 48 and 5'0"while"a"relatively smaller conical elearancefis' maintained between a y the lower gripping surfaces 49jand 5i.

By reason of the downwardta'perof the tube.

" 45"a nd of thcfgripp'ing surfaoesof ithelspringjaws 4G and 4], said tube 45is held more firmly against downward and outward displacement or slippingthan is the case with the cylindrical tubes and gripping surfaces'employed in carriers l0 and lc -'a. While the degreeof taper of the tube 45 may be varied, said tubeis preferably madewith a relatively small degree ,of taperj the taper being exaggerated in' Figure 1O merely for the purpose of clearer illustration. e 7

It is alsopossible to have a relativelyslightdegree of taper upon the main, gripped'portion or the threadguide tube/and to havea greater degrec of taper upon the tip or pay-outend corresponding generally to the tip 43 shown in Figure 8. w

While in Figure 10 there isshown the yarn carrier lO-b which is similar to |0'a except that the tube-gripping surfaces of the springjaws have been modified to accommodate a tube which is tapered throughout, it isalso possible to other with the clearance correctly established.

-When carriers having the large key-openings shown in Figures 3 and 10 are employed, it is 1 possible to observe the position of the carriers underneath and thus it is a much more simple operation to .set the carriers at the proper :clearancer a a While the yarn carriers of the present invention have been described in connection with a knitting machine, their use with other types of l textile machines is contemplated and is within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the

vyarn carriers of the present invention may be used equally well in spinning machines, for example.

The four-point grip of the divided spring-jaws shown in Figures 3 and 10 may be employed equally well to hold other guiding means. For

, example, as shown in Figure 11, spring-jaws 55 and 56 may be employed to provide a four-point grip upon a yarn-guide ring 51 through which the yarn or thread 26 passes in a plane generally perpendicular to the plane of the jaws 55 and 56.

Ihe present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiments be considered in all respects as illustrative and ,not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having .thus described the invention, what is hereby claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form juxtaposed tube-gripping spring-jaws, the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent ,into a plane difierent from that in which the rest of the carrier is disposed, and a yarn-guide finger egenerallyin the zone of the bend and intermediate the bifurcated portion; said spring-jaws I providingtube-gripping surfaces adjacent to said finger and adjacent to the discharge tip of said carrier.

' 2. A yarn carrier having a body portion and having a discharge end portion inclined at an angle tosaid body portion, said discharge end portion being formed integrally with said body portion and being connected therewith by a relatively small bend-zone, said discharge end portion having a pair of juxtaposed spring-jaws extending beyond said bend-zone, a yarn-guide finger disposed intermediate said spring-jaws generally at said bend-zone, and separated from at least one of said spring-jaws, said spring-jaws having opposed tube-gripping surfaces extending from said yarn-guide finger to the discharge end of said carrier.

3. A yarn carrier having a body portion and having a discharge end portion inclined at an angle to said body portion, said discharge end portion being formed integrally with said body portion and being connected therewith by a relatively small bend-zone, said discharge end portion having a pair of juxtaposed spring-jaws extending beyond said bend-zone, a yarn-guide finger disposed intermediate said spring-jaws generally at said bend-zone, and separated from at least one of said spring-jaws, said spring-jaws providing juxtaposed tube-gripping surfaces adjacent to said finger and providing additional juxtaposed tube-gripping surfaces adjacent to the discharge end of said carrier.

4. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form springjaws having opposed tube-grippin surfaces-the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent into a plane different from that in which the rest of the carrier is disposed, at yarnguide finger generally in the zone of the bend and intermediate said spring-jaws, said finger extending to the tube-gripping surfaces of said.

spring-jaws, and means for permitting lateral separation of said spring-jaws. V

5. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form integral juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed concave tube-gripping surfaces, a thread-guide tube removably held between said tube-gripping surfaces having a generally uniform cross-section substantially throughout the portion thereof gripped by said jaws, said spring-jaws having key recesses therein on either side of said tube, and adapted to receive a key-like device for spreading said spring-jaws apart to permit insertion or removal of said tube.

6. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form integral juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed tube-gripping surfaces,'a yarn-guide finger intermediate saidspring-jaws and extending to the inner end of said tube-gripping surfaces, a yarnguide tube removably held between said tubegripping surfaces with its inner end abuttin against said yam-guide finger, said spring jaws having key recesses therein on either side of said tube to permit spreading of said jaws for insertion and removal of said tube.

7. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed tube-gripping surfaces, said discharge end having transversely tapered side edges thinned to not more than half the thickness of the body of the carrier, the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent into a plane different from that in which the rest of the carrier is disposed, said springjaws having key recesses formed therein adja-- cent said tube-gripping surfaces, and a yamguide finger disposed intermediate said springjaws generally in the .bend zone thereof and being separated from at least one of said spring jaws.

8. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed tube-gripping surfaces, the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent into a plane different from that in which the rest of the carrier is disposed, a yarn-guide finger generally in the zone of the bend, and intermediate said springjaws. said finger having a groove extending generally longitudinally thereon, and a;retaining loop carried by said finger and spanning said groove.

9. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed tube-gripping surfaces, the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent into a plane different from that in which the rest of the carrier is dis-' posed, a yam-guide finger generally in the zone of the bend, and intermediate said spring-jaws, said finger having a groove extending generally longitudinally thereon, a retaining loop carried by said finger and spanning said groove, and a yarn-guide tube removably held between said tube-gripping surfaces and having its inner end abutting said yam-guide finger.

'10. A yarn carrier having its discharge end bifurcated generally longitudinally to form juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed tube-gripping surfaces, the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent, into a plane different from that in which the rest of the carrier is disposed, a yarn-guide finger generally in the, zone of the bend, and intermediate said springjaws, said finger having a groove extending gen-' erally longitudinally thereon, a retaining loop carried by said finger and spanning said groove,

a yarn-guide tube removably held between said tube-gripping surfaces and having its inner end abutting said yarn-guide'finger, and means carried by said spring-jaws laterally of said tube to permit spreading 5f said spring-jaws.

, 11. A yarn carrier having its discharge and bifurcated generally longitudinally to form juxtaposed spring-jaws, the portion of the carrier including said spring-jaws being bent into a plane different from that in which the rest of the carrier is disposed, ayarn-guide finger generally in the zone of the bend and intermediate said spring-jaws, a tapered yarn-guide tube removably gripped by said spring-jaws with its wider end abutting said yam-guide finger, said springjaws having opposed concave tube-gripping surfaces adjacent to said yarn-guide finger and ad"-.

jacent to the outer ends of said spring-jaws, said tube-gripping surfaces being tapered to conform to the juxtaposed portions of said tapered yarn-,

guide tube.

12. A yarn carrier having one end bifurcated generally" longitudinally to form juxtaposed spring-jaws having opposed gripping surfaces, said spring-jaws having recessed intermediate portions thereby to provide a plurality of gripping surfaces upon each of said spring-jaws, and

a yarn guide member removably held between said spring-jaws and gripped at more or less uniformly distributed points by said plurality of gripping surfaces, said recessed portions providing means permitting spreading of said springjaws for insertion and removal of said yam-guide member. r. ERNEST A. FEUSTEL, 

